CCEA approves Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

October 5, 2013

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for reforming the state higher education system.

Key features of RUSA in the 12th Five-year Plan

RUSA will have a financial outlay of Rs 22,855 crore out of which Rs 16,227 crore will be borne by the Centre.
Besides this, Centre will also allocate Rs 1800 crore for the existing scheme Sub-Mission polytechnics.
Total financial contribution from Centre, including the existing scheme of polytechnics, will be Rs 18,027 crore.
Ratio of Centre-State funding would be 90:10 for North-Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and 65:35 for other States and Union Territories.
Spread over two plan periods, RUSA aims for improving access, equity and quality in the state higher education system.
It also aims to incentivize States to step up plan investments in higher education.

What are the main objectives of RUSA?

The key objectives of RUSA are:

Improve the overall quality of existing state higher educational institutions by ensuring adherence to the prescribed norms and standards and adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.
Rectify regional imbalances in access to higher education through high quality institutions in rural and semi urban areas as well as creating opportunities for students from rural areas to get access to better quality institutions.
Establish higher education institutions in unserved and underserved areas.
Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities to socially disadvantaged communities; encouraging inclusion of women, minorities, SC/ST and OBCs as well as differently-abled persons.
Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and ensure capacity building at all levels
Build an enabling atmosphere in higher educational institutions to devote themselves to research and innovation.
Integrate skill developments efforts of the government with the conventional higher education system through optimum interventions.

Future grants to RUSA would be performance based and outcome dependent. Commitment by States and institutions to certain academic, administrative and governance reforms will be a precondition for receiving funding.

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